The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry will amend the second version of the emergency decree on the prevention and suppression of technology crime to allow Thai authorities to act against suspected sources of cross-border online scams by using white-hat hackers and proactive measures to address scam activities targeting Thailand.
Meanwhile, the country will closely collaborate with Unesco and the European Union to oversee digital platforms in terms of tax collection, sales transaction fees, and misinformation.
The second version of the law took effect on April this year, while the first version was enacted in 2023.
DES Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the new decree is expected to come into force within the next four months.
“The revision is aimed at allowing us to conduct cyberwarfare against criminals in other countries,” Mr Chaichanok said after presiding over the opening of the Asean-Unesco Multistakeholder Forum on the Governance of Digital Platforms.
The event, which got underway in Bangkok on Monday and ends later on Wednesday, is being co-hosted by the DES Ministry, in collaboration with the Asean Secretariat, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and the Global Initiative on the Future of the Internet under the European University Institute.
Mr Chaichanok said several countries, including Japan, have rolled out cyberdefence acts that allow them to proactively deal with cross- border crime.
“We will take aggressive action in coordinating with relevant authorities such as telecom regulators, mobile operators, banks, and the police to trace IP addresses and suspicious accounts, share data across agencies to identify scam compounds, and authorise white-hat hackers to counter attack the scammers,” he said.
Mr Chaichanok said the ministry will also take proactive measures to suppress online scams through the recently established Technology Crime Prevention Suppression Committee chaired by the prime minister.
He said the cabinet has endorsed the anti-online scam efforts as a national agenda item.
Later this month, Thailand will sign the UN Convention Against Cybercrime in Hanoi, Vietnam. The convention will come into force once 40 member states ratify it.
This convention is the first global treaty concerning cybercrime, and it is designed to strengthen cooperation, harmonise legal standards, and aid cross-border efforts against cyberthreats.
Mr Chaichanok said the rapid expansion of digital platforms brings growing risks driven by fast-moving technologies, algorithms operating as “black boxes”, the harvesting of user data, and the widespread diffusion of scams, misinformation and abuse.
Governments face threats that cross national borders, emphasising that no single country or sector can tackle these issues independently.
Cybercrime has been underestimated and has taken root quite deeply, affecting the livelihoods and well-being of the people, Mr Chaichanok noted.
The governance of digital platforms must be rooted in shared principles, multi-stakeholder participation, and collective action, he said.
Governance requires engagement from industry, civil society, and citizens to reflect Asean’s aspiration for transparency, fairness, accountability and online safety, said Mr Chaichanok.
The forum in Bangkok is timely for making digital platforms safe spaces and fostering digital resilience and efficiency, he said.
Mr Chaichanok said Thailand, working alongside Asean, Unesco, and the EU, is advancing a joint programme on digital platform governance, beginning with a focus on combatting online scams.
Scams are destructive, as they not only cause damage but also erode inclusion and imperil the digital economy.
The Asean Working Group on anti-online scams was established in 2024 and the Bangkok digital declaration was endorsed at the fifth Asean Digital Ministers’ meeting in January 2025.
These milestones signalled Asean’s recognition of the need for dialogue followed by action.
The future goal, linked to the draft Asean digital economy framework and Asean digital master plan 2030, is to see a digital ecosystem that is registered and accountable.
Prabhat Agarwal, acting director for online platforms: society at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, said the EU had experience in regulating the online platform economy through the Digital Services Act, and had invested pound 14 million in the European Center for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT) to recruit top data scientists and analyse platform algorithms that included preventing the sale of non-compliant goods in online marketplaces.
“The EU will learn and work with Unesco and Asean and deepen shared understanding of digital regulations while advocating for global collaboration to build centres like ECAT,” he said.